Braided
by garden-nomes
Summary: Emily explains the origin of the corresponding braids she and Naomi both wear. One-shot.


**A/N: So, I guess I'm not the only one who was mad about the ending of the first part of Skins:Fire, huh? They've gotta resolve that somehow, I mean... You can't screw with Naomily like that... It's like messing with the fabric of the universe!**

**Anyway. This is a partially AU fic, the only parts that are canon are easily spotted.**

**All mistakes are mine, but I think I proofread it.**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Skins, if I did, I wouldn't have ended part one like THAT!**

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"Why do you and Naomi wear a single braid of each others' hair?" Asked Panda, as she passed the wine to Effy.

"I thought it was disgustingly cute couple stuff." Scoffed Katie, downing another shot of vodka.

"That all depends on your perspective." I said, drinking from my glass of wine. "When Naomi slept with Sophia... She was scared about how she felt for me. So complete and... controlling, all consuming... I had an effect on her that made her feel like she lost part of who she was, her independence, self reliance... It had all been crumbled because I was part of her life now, and she loved me more than she could handle."

"And that leads to braids how?" Asked Katie.

"I'm getting there." I continued, grabbing a piece of salami off the antipasto platter. "So she was scared, right? Of opening her heart completely, letting me in. Sophia was just... That one thing she had to do, to be sure that I was what she wanted... To be able to throw herself into us fully knowing that she wanted to be with me, and only me. Once she explained it like that... I was still mad, but it made sense."

"You are drawn to each other." Effy piped up.

"Yeah, I guess we are. Anyway, when I finally took her back, it was only after I'd thought long and hard, and had a talk with dad. She said she would do anything, and I asked her what she meant by that." I sipped some more wine. "She said things that were serious, like tell me her every move, to things that are a little more flippant, like walking around the block naked, or cutting out a section of her hair so I could braid it in mine. Anything she could think of that would show me that she loved me, and was deeply sorry for having hurt me."

"Around the block naked, I'd like to see that." Katie joked..

"Fuck off!" I laughed back. "Anyway, I laughed, and said that not only was walking around the block naked necessary, no one other than me should get to see her naked. So I said I'd settle for the braid, but on one condition."

"Which was?" Asked Panda, engrossed in my story.

"We both had to do it... Cut a part of our hair off, and swap, then braid each others hair into our own. So, we did... It was rather romantic, actually. We made love, for the first time in a while... And then afterwards, Naomi got up out of bed and left the room, coming back with a pair of scissors. She sat down on the bed next to me and crossed her legs, and told me to sit up. I did, and she ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it out."

"Her blue eyes concentrated as she brought the scissors up and snipped through a long lock of her blonde hair. She reached over to me, and my breathing became slightly shallow as she gently began to braid her own hair through mine. 'I love you so much, Ems. I'll never hurt you like that again. I swear it.', she said, softly. She concentrated on her fingers, moving slowly, and it's then that I noticed they were shaking."

"Shaking?" Panda asked.

"She told me after that she was so nervous doing it. She tried to will her fingers to stop shaking, but it wasn't happening." I replied.

"Oh, right, whizzer."

"When she got to the end of the braid, she handed the scissors to me, and looked at me with adoring anticipation in her eyes." I continued. "I threaded my fingers through my hair, shaking out the post-shag tangles, and separated out a long strand. I cut it off, and then started braiding it into the opposite side to where she braided mine. My hands were shaky, and I had to still my fingers a few times, but after a while, I finally got to the end of the braid, just as she had."

"Ok, so it's a more adult version of what I was thinking, then." Katie smirked.

"Katie!"

"It's still disgustingly romantic, really."

"Call it whatever you like. It's fucking symbolic, okay?" I replied. "Her and I... We're meant to be. We're braided together just like the braids we wear. It might have been a little complex to get us to that stage, but we are intertwined together, now. We've been that way since we were teenagers, even if we did ignore it for the first few years, part of which wasn't even our fault." I added, shooting a glare at Katie.

"Don't look at me like that! I was just looking after you, okay?" She said, half heatedly trying to defend herself, seeing as she knew I was right.

"Whatever." I waved off her concern. "My point is, her and I are stronger now. We are inseparable, like strong magnets. We have more trust, now. We were miserable without each other, Katie. The braid is a symbol of the two of us... Together, infinite."

"That's pathetic, Ems."

"Bitch."

"I think it's sweet." Says Effy.

"You would, Effy." Katie again.

"I think it's flippin' romantic." Said Panda with a dreamy look in her eyes.

The front door opens.

"Em! I'm back!" We all hear Naomi's voice from the front door. I stand up, finishing my glass of wine as I do so and race out to the hallway. I pull her into my arms, enjoying the feel of her own arms as they wrap around my body.

"Hey, baby." I smile, leaning in to kiss her. Her lips meet mine in a slow kiss.

"I missed you." She says, as she pulls away.

"Missed you too. We have guests."

"Who?"

"Effy, Panda... And my sister."

She screws up her nose at the mention of Katie. They don't hate each other as much as they used to, they can be civil now, but they still rub each other the wrong way from time to time.

"Lovely. What have you been talking about?" She asks, wrapping my braid through her fingers, which she often likes to do.

"I was giving them the abridged version of why we did this." I reply, placing my hand on top of hers, gently stroking our hair over her fingers.

"Oh." She replies. Her expression turns thoughtful. She closes her mouth and nods her head.

"Hey..."

"It's okay, Ems. I'm okay with it." A soft smile crosses her lips.

"You sure?"

"Ems... I'm a different person, now., okay? I love you, and I'm not mad you told them. So long as you kept it clean, that is." She joked.

"Perve." I replied, playfully slapping her shoulder. "As if I'd tell my sister THAT! Or Panda, or Effy, for that matter."

"OI! You two better not be shagging in the hallway!" I heard Katie call from the kitchen.

"Yeah, alright, keep your vagina on, we'll be right there." Naomi yelled back. We giggled together for a few seconds, and then Naomi kissed my forehead. "Shall we?"

"Mmm. Just another minute with you?" I ask.

She nods, and pulls me close into her arms, holding me tight. "I love you, Emily."

"I love you too, Naomi."

After spending another minute or so just holding each other, we separate, and with our hands linked, we walk into the kitchen to greet our friends.

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**A/N#2: The idea for this came from the idea of teenage friends who braid each other's hair. I tend to be a visual person, and colour has always had an effect on me. The most distinct feature about both Naomi and Emily is their hair colour. (Ok, other than their cuteness/gorgeousness/yadayadayda) And I like the idea of them being intertwined, inseparable and forever, as I'm sure a lot of us do. Considering their history, it seemed fitting to link the idea of a perfect pair, two lovers who fit together so perfectly that you can't tell where one ends and the other begins, to the image of a braid where apart from the ends, in the middle of the braid the strands twist around each other perfectly without definition as to the beginning or end of the other.**

**Reviews welcome. :)**


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